Sadly both Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough confounded the basic principles of the football cosmos at the City Ground though in this relentlessly dull contest of attrition, it was the home side that reaped its dividend with a ninth successive home victory.
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"What brings a bigger smile to my face is our 15th clean sheet of the season," said Davies, whose reward for guiding Derby County to the Premiership three years ago was the sack within four months. "The way we competed against a team just down from the Premiership tells you how far we have come."
The single outstandingly fluid movement of the match belonged to Forest, finished in a style befitting its creation by Chris Cohen.
It had been a long hard slog, just for the neutral that is, and the goal owed much to the temperamental indifference of Leroy Rita who lost his composure and possession then threw a tantrum as Kelvin Wilson dispossessed the Middlesbrough substitute in the 72nd minute.
Radoslaw Majewski carried the move over the half way line on the left, found Dexter Blackstock who in turn released Cohen fractionally inside the 18-yard area before the midfield player swept a clever dink over Danny Coyne for the winner. Majewski's free kick that clipped the top of the crossbar and Robert Earnshaw's volley over the top were the best, in fact only, first half highlights.
Middlesbrough are in team in transformation but as yet, their kit has not changed to green and white hoops despite the January recruitment of five players from their manager Gordon Strachan's former club Celtic.
"They have added a steeliness and a drive but today wasn't our day," said Strachan, whose best hope of success is a play-off place - or maybe a revival of the Anglo-Scottish Cup.
Source: Telegraph
Source: Telegraph